Eternity
by Don't Use Orbs
Summary: Shield, just a normal kid living in Littleroot town, shares a close bond with Spirit, Beach, Apple, Spin, Flare, and Raze. When he has to leave his hometown to the distant region of Sinnoh, how will everyone cope? See profile for complete summary.
1. The 7 friends

Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm just a regular kid living in Littleroot town. I have a small circle of friends, 2 parents, and a normal school life. I fret about homework; I'm a good student. I like hanging out with my friends; we spend a lot of time together, always having fun. I'd like to be able to play with Pokemon, but ever since the huge legendary incident with two criminal organizations, Team Aqua and Team Magma, my parents deemed Pokemon dangerous and made sure I never went near them. That went as a rule between me and my friends, as my parents were familiar with all their parents. As I said.

I'm just an ordinary boy.

"_Hey, come on, little boy! We're here!" I woke up to the sound of a screech and a familiar voice. Looking around my surroundings, I remembered leaving the nice outdoor world, and entering the back of a truck. My parents said something about moving, and I became aware that we weren't coming back to the peaceful town we lived in. The sound of the voice came from my mom, sitting across from me in the dark corners of the truck. She gestured towards my father, who went to open the back door of the truck. Sunlight poured in, and I had to cover my eyes from the sudden difference in brightness. We stepped out of the truck, and I was greeted by the scenery of a small town, not unlike the one I used to live in. Grass surrounded the ground where there was no pathways created, a few houses here and there, and it also seemed there was some laboratory of some sort. I didn't get much time to observe, as my mom pulled me into the house we were supposedly going to live in._

"_Come on __**Shield, **__let's take a look a the house. You'll be able to choose where you want to put your things!" We didn't have to unpack anything, because the Machoke, big, buff Pokemon, would serve as the un-loaders._

_I ran ahead of my mom, excited at the offer. When I got upstairs, however, there was another child sitting there, looking angry. Detecting my presence, he turned his glare towards me. Upon this, I noticed he was around the same age as me, probably 10, although his anger gave a mature aura off him. His hair was strikingly dark blue, and his eyes also matched his hair. _

"_Hey."_

"_Wha-wha-h-hi." I was surprised when he finally spoke; even his voice gave off a mysterious and scary feeling. _

"_Shield, don't run so fast! You could fall and hurt yourself!" My mom was catching up to me now, and I don't really know what she'd think when she saw this stranger in our new house. However, he threw a note at me, which I managed to clumsily, but surely, catch, and spoke again._

"_Read it, and follow the instructions." He then jumped out the window at the side before my disbelieving eyes. "Wha-what are you doing!" I managed to squeak out. I started running to the window when my mom appeared. The kid was already gone. _

"_So, see a good spot for anything?" She asked, looking around, although my mind was already trailing to wonder about the contents of the note. _

"_Uhh…I'm going to find dad. I won't be able to tell unless I have the stuff with me. " With that, I left to go downstairs, hastily opening the note as my mom disappeared from sight. I could tell she wasn't convinced by what I said, as that was probably a horrible lie, but nonetheless, I got away._

Shield,

Tonight, I will come again. Go outside and we will have a talk.

_The note also had an picture of the boy I just saw, with that glare plastered on his face. _

From Spirit

_The rest of the night passed by quickly, and I was feeling anxious already for this newfound person. My parents didn't really notice my anxiety, as they never bothered me about my spacing off, but I could've spaced off too much to even notice them ask me about it. The moon and dark sky appeared, and so did Spirit. I glanced down the window to see the angry kid. He brought a ladder up to my window, prompting me to climb down. Anxiety took control, and after a quick peek outside my room, which had also been absentmindedly organized by myself, I went and started climbing down. _

"_H-Hi." I nervously spoke when I reached the ground, afraid of his strange personality._

"_You." His voice was crisp, clear, and most significantly, cold. I sensed so much hatred just from one word; and began to stiffen._

"_W-Why did you call me out? How do you know my name? I don't want to start any trouble-_

_The blue-haired boy shot up a hand, indicating me to stop talking. "Eep."_

"_Listen, kid, Littleroot's a small town, but the residents here are all good people. We all get along, and help out each other. I don't want some new kid coming in here and screwing up everything for my friends and the rest of the community. Got that?"_

_My mind began spinning at this direct approach. 'What could I possibly do to him? To his friends? I'm just an ordinary kid, not looking for trouble.' _

_Spirit looked directly at me, eliciting a small yelp coming from me. 'I don't think I could ever get used to being around him…' _

"_Well, that's all for tonight. I'll be coming around tomorrow, so don't you dare ignore me." With that, the cold boy left, walking into the dark night, leaving me standing dazed._

_Days past. I waited for Spirit every night, and we had short chats. Surprisingly, I got to know more about him, and eventually got used to his cold personality. Unbeknownst to him, I discovered hi threats about not disturbing the residents and his friends gave him a motive to come and talk with me, Without any other friends in this small town, I spent all day inside the house, waiting for the summer to end so I could go to school. My parents may be over-protective to keep me in the house, but even they can't keep me from an education system. I'd eventually understand why they didn't let me out of the house for all these weeks._

_Staring at the Wingull-shaped clock (Spirit explained to me what that oddly-shaped bird thing was, when I showed him once) which my parents ironically gave me, I watched the time go by slowly. I walked around my now personalized room, throwing around some Pokemon plushies which my parents also ironically bought me, and waited. _

_Just waited._

_Even though I can't really understand my life now, I guess it's okay. Eventually I'll go to school, meet new friends, and live a normal life. _

_At least that's what I thought._

* * *

_It's been a few weeks ever since my move to Littleroot town, and with my nightly conversations with Spirit highlighted my life. This time around, I was extra excited because Spirit was bringing along a friend._

"_Hey, __**Shield**__!" The familiar angry voice caught my attention, and I instinctively jumped out of my room, down to the ground. Spirit had taught me the proper technique to do that while we were having our nightly talks a week ago. Although we risked being discovered by my parents, I was still taught, and gained something fun._

"_Where's the person you brought with you?" I asked anxiously, wanting to make a new friend._

"_Right here~" A shadow appeared from one of the trees nearby, and upon closer inspection, it looked like a girl. She was dressed in casual clothes; a white t-shirt and blue jeans, unlike Spirit's full blue outfit. She had a cheerful smile, and seemed a little childish. Then she walked up to me, and spoke. "My name's Beach. Nice to meet you." _

_I suppressed a laugh at the unusual name and shook her hand. "Your name's Shield, right? Spirit's been talking a lot about you."_

"_Beach!"_

"_He might not look like it, or act like it, but he's actually a really kind person after you get past his cold exterior~" She gave a wink at him, and he turned a little red. From my angle, I realized only I could see that in the dreariness, and chuckled. _

"_Yeah, I'm starting to see that too."_

_Spirit then got angry. "Shield…"_

* * *

_One by one, Spirit brought his friends to my house during the nighttime. Every week, a new friend would show up, and we would have fun talking and playing around. My parents never seemed to appear in my room during nighttime, which aided me quite well. _

_I met Apple and Spin afterwards, they were both a bit younger than me and Spirit, but only by a few months. Apple was a generally silly guy, who never would stop making jokes. Always having a smile on his face, he spread happiness to other people, except when he was playing pranks. Spin, on the other hand, was much more calm, albeit childish, and looked after Apple to prevent him from getting into trouble. Apple usually wore red, while Spin wore yellow._

_Next week, Spirit brought Raze and Flare with him, and both of them were older than me. Raze and Flare both had an air superiority, but were also humble and greeted me with smiles. Raze, however, was like Spirit, and cold, while Flare was more warmed up and we were able to chat easier._

_With that, one week later, school started._

* * *

Time passed. Years and years flew by, and I was accepted into Spirit's circles of friends.

Beach. Spirit. Apple. Spin. Flare. Raze. All of them. Today was the day. With my eyes shining, happy smile plastered on my face, and laughter echoing from a recent joke, no one could guess this was the last day I would see all of them.

I turned my head. "Hey, Spirit!"

"What is it?" The sapphire eyed boy asked.

"Remember that time Apple convinced all of us to play that prank on Professor Birch's assistant?"

This time Flare piped up. "Oh yeah! I doubt she'll ever go near a Torchic again!"

Many years had past, and I was let to associate with Pokemon a few years ago.

Beach, Flare and Spirit shared a laugh, while Spin and Raze looked accusingly at Apple, who shrugged.

"We're just playing with you, dummy." Raze muttered calmly to Apple.

"Well, shows what you know-"I broke in the argument. "Come on, guys. Stop arguing. You can do it some other time." With that, we all started walking again, with Apple lagging behind us, plotting against Raze, as always.

I tuned out of their indistinct chatter, focusing once again on an event that had bothered me for weeks on end.

"_But I don't want to go to Sinnoh!" I was wailing, screaming with despair._

"_I'm sorry, dear, but daddy can't find a job here. We need to find one before it's too late!"_

_I ran up the stairs, stomping angrily, cursing. I slammed the door shut, and fell on the bed._

"_UUUGGGGHHH!" My muffled screams came endlessly, not caring what anybody thought, as I drifted off to sleep._

'_How will I be able to cope without these guys? Can they cope without me? We've been together for so long, never separated. Is it right for them to tear us apart? Is it? Is it?'_

"_Shield, _you're being all spacey today. Is everything all right?"

I turned to Spirit, eyes full of concern. He was always there to help me, even when the others couldn't. A lot had changed ever since the late night chats, and we had become closer than anybody in the group, applying to Spirit as well. I looked up at the ceiling. We were now at school. "No, nothing's wrong," I lied. "I'm just…..thinking."

"Alright. But don't hesitate to tell me, if you have anything, okay?"

I nodded; this seemed to satisfy the young boy, and he left for class. Coincidentally, all 7 of us had the same class, and this would be the perfect opportunity to tell them my event. '_I just hope I have the nerve to," _my thoughts wandered to this topic, once again, as I slowly walked to class.

Step, step. _Will they hate me if I tell them?_

Step, step. _No, our friendship is much stronger than that._

Step, step. _Okay, no more thinking. Just go for it…….RUN! NOW!_

I dashed into the class, unaware of how awkward that looked. Dashing into class when you're about to be late is one thing, but dashing into class _early_ just makes you seem…..eccentric. To put it simply, like Twitch, my classmate.

"Umm…..hi guys!" I said sheepishly. There was Raze, Flare, Spirit, and Twitch in the class. Raze and Flare stuck up a hand towards me, indicating they noticed my presence (well, hey, who wouldn't?), and Spirit just nodded. Twitch, however, was literally nose-to-page with his book. I peered at the hardcover labeled _Effectiveness of Stat-raising moves during long range combat. _"M-My book!" He held the book protectively, and everyone sweatdropped. That kid studies a _little _too hard, if you ask me.

I headed to the teacher's desk to see Professor Birch, completely unaware of me; he was gazing out the window at a couple of Seedots. "Umm….Mr. Birch? I whispered softly, hoping my friends wouldn't hear.

"Huh? What? Oh, it's just you, Shield. Yes? What would you like? He also whispered quietly, imitating my volume to accommodate whatever reason I had for doing so.

I held my hands together nervously. Professor Birch could be scary at times, but he seemed more…caring today. "Umm….well….I kinda want to explain to the class something when the period starts."

"Is it about your move to Sinnoh?"

"What? How'd you-"

"Your parents phoned me. They said it was just like Shield to tell everyone last minute."

_"He's right. I WAS too afraid to tell everyone in the morning....but what choice did I have? I'd have to tell everyone in the class afterwards, making me say things twice!" _

After realizing it wasn't my fault of speaking up last minute, I breathed a sigh of relief, and some curiosity. Professor Birch was always one step ahead of me somehow, and that always lead to my benefit. "Thank you Mr. Birch, I'll do it first thing this period." With that, I left to sit in my seat, awaiting the bell.

_10 minutes later_

Ding! Dong!!!

The arrival of the bell instantly shot my back up with anticipation, and I looked towards Professor Birch, who nodded subtly. It was time. The class filed in, but I didn't care to look at any of them. I was a little too nervous. I sighed. I was never good at speaking to an audience, even a small 30 student class.

"Students!" Professor Birch's voice immediately caught everyone's attention. " Shield would like to announce an important event." I got up, my heavy steps unnoticed by all except my 6 dearest friends, looking at me quizzically. '_Sorry guys, it's gonna be time for me to leave soon_.'

Working my way carefully to the front (I sat in the back with Apple and Flare), I thought about my times with my friends….._no more going to the park…..nor more chasing Zigzagoons….no more late night stargazing….._I reached the front of the room, and looked up.

"I'm sorry for not telling all of you sooner," my friends now looked at me, anxious for my next words. I chose them carefully. "but I am moving to Sinnoh, so my dad can find a better place to work. I'm sorry. I'm leaving tomorrow."

There. I said it. I put my head down, and started crying. Crying for all that I would lose. Crying for my friends. Crying for myself. But crying mostly because…….

"WHATTTTT?!?!?!" Spirit's furious voice shook, and Flare, Beach, Raze, Spin, and Apple stood. The blue-eyed boy whipped around in anger, throwing over desks and trying to break anything possible. The 5 restrained him, and Beach looked at me with sorrow while holding him. She left the rest to hold Spirit, and walked up to me. "Before you leave, take this." She handed me a blue shard like object, on a necklace. I didn't know what it was…but nonetheless, I thanked her. "Now get out you idiot!" She then proceeded to slap me , and pretty hard too. I looked up, and saw her face full of hatred. I'd never seen her get so angry, in fact I've never seen her get angry at all, so this must be a big tragedy for her. Tears streaming, I ran out the door, ignoring distant cries for me to come back, and ignoring everyone there. Including my friends.

I'm now back at home, watching the Machoke pack up my stuff. I held a small picture of me and the gang together. Taken at our trip to the Slateport city beach, Spin and Apple were doing bunny ears on each other, Raze and Flare were smiling obediently (Flare for once), and me, Spirit and Beach were laughing at a good joke. I refused to think anymore….I didn't want to get too emotional before leaving.

"Ok! We're done packing!" "Ma-Machoke!" I heard the workmen and Machoke tell my mom and dad. It's time to go. To leave Hoenn. My birthplace. I finally grasped the reality of that fact, and started wailing like crazy. "Get ahold of yourself!" That voice….Beach! What was she doing here?

I turned around swiftly, excitement taking over sorrow, and she started to speak. "Listen. I'm sorry for slapping you that day. It's just….when you told us at the last minute, if felt like you betrayed us. It felt like…"

"It's okay. I get it," came my soft reply. "I shouldn't have kept it so last minute either. I'm sorry." Needless to say, we shared a parting hug, and then I started walking away. "This isn't goodbye….this is see you later, okay?"

"Hey. Don't forget me. Our exploits with Apple to prank Raze, our times together on Slateport beach with Spirit, when we first met during the late night…"

"Don't be silly Beach. How could I forget anything?"

I stepped into the truck, with my parents and the workmen at the front. The door closed slowly, and I could swear I saw Beach, Spirit, Flare, Raze, Apple, and Spin waving at me for a split second. The door shut. Silence. Then, I felt something in my pocket. Beach's gift! I looked at it carefully, and on it neat little words inscribed on it were: Eternally friends.

_Hmm. This was just like Beach._


	2. Slate Memories

_Hmm…this was just like Beach._

I took a heavy sigh and looked out the small window, trying to get a good view of what I could be able to see. We were taking a 7-day trip; today was the first stretch, aiming for

Slateport City. It was there all of us, including Apple/Spin's parents, took a trip during the summer 3 years ago.

Staring out the window, I watched as Wingull flew overhead, trees surrounded everywhere, and I couldn't help but feel sad and all alone. _Guys…_

Instinctively, I reached into my right pocket, taking out my Ipod nano. It was worn out from the many years of use, but I would never replace it. Flipping the little edge of the blue case, and adjusting the play to "shuffle", I opened my other hand, leaned back to slouch, and stared at it. The song "Vanilla Twilight" started playing.

_The silence isn't so bad,_

_Till I look at my hands and feel sad,_

_Cause the spaces between my fingers_

_Are right where yours fit perfectly._

I closed my eyes, and dreamed of the past.

"_Hey guys! Come look at this!" Apple shouted at us, hopping with excitement._

"_Is it time for you to ruin my day already?" Raze asked quietly._

"_No! That's in…." He checked his water-proof watch. "25 minutes from now!" We all shared a laugh, and Beach asked him, "Well what did you call us over here for? It's my first time at the Slateport Beach, and I DON'T want to spend it waiting for you to tell us something!"_

"_Ok! Guess what! Beach, right here, is on the Beach! Get it? Huh? Huh?" We all shared a clearly, and I stress this much, CLEARLY audible moan, and Beach got mock furious._

"_I'm gonna get you for that!" She started chasing him around, ignoring the stray glances from the other people. _

"_Hey, dad! Can you take a picture now? I wanna CAPTURE this moment with _

_everybody." Spin asked._

"_Sure! Just let me get my camera…_

"_OW! Stop it! That hurts! Sorry, Beach!"_

"_Tell me what you're sorry for!"_

"_Almost found it!"_

_It was then Beach tripped over Spirit in the process of accelerating, and landed face-flat in front of him. She got up, we laughed, and after a moment, her voice rang with ours. Apple, safe finally, went over to pose with Spin after the explanation from the latter, and Raze got Flare to hold still, waiting for the picture to be taken._

"_Found it!"_

"_Great! Now could you hurry up Mr. Roster? Flare is getting twitchy! He can't stop doing anything for long!"_

"_okay…..steady.." FLASH!…."got it!"_

I snapped back into reality, as the song finished, and my memory ended at the same time. "Huh…" I looked up, my hand still held in place. My eyes narrowed, and tears began forming.

"_S-Shield…" Spirit gasped._

"_Heh…so I finally got you to act a little less commanding…" I spoke as blood came gushing out a huge wound, and I fell._

_Everything went black._

…

"_Shield?" _

_I opened my eyes to see a worry-eyed Spirit, in the daylight._

_What?_

_Daylight?_

"_Wha-what am I doing outside Spirit? It's in the morning!" I gasped when I drew myself up and choked, seeing my whole body bandaged up._

_Spirit thought carefully before responding. "Shield…do you remember what happened last night?"_

_I shook my head, waiting for his reply._

"_I guess it's better you don't remember…just know…_

_**If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now.**__"_

_I gasped in shock from his words. Me? Save him from death? How?_

"_Spirit…what…tell me what happened…" I gasped once again, trying to regain composure and force my friend to talk. _

"_Hey. Shield's parents? Look after your own son better." Spirit gestured to my parents, who were a few feet away from me. _

"_I'll be going now. See you tonight, or whenever you feel better."_

"Spirit…" He'd been there from the start of my life in Littleroot. _I can't believe I didn't even get to say goodbye to him! _I fumed at myself, but knew it wouldn't help anything, so I began dreaming again. The lyrics of the song stuck in my head.

_I watch the night turn light blue,_

_But it's not the same without you,_

_Because it takes two to whisper quietly_

"_I wonder what this is about." It was my first week at school in Littleroot, and it was adequate, I guess. All my teachers were nice, I hung out with Spirit's group, and we shared laughs, food, and kept each other company. The week had just ended, and Beach had sent me a note._

_Shield, _

_Meet me tonight at the hills near the edge of Littleroot town. I'll be there at 9:00 pm, so see you! _

_~Beach_

_Ever since starting school, my parents were convinced I could be independent outside, but only with convincing from my friends. I walked along the only path out of Littleroot, heading towards the hills. There was only one hilly region in Littleroot, so I could easily find my way. It also helped when the gang visited this place with me to have a picnic earlier during a field trip. 'This school really wants us to be in contact with nature.' I muttered to myself._

_I reached the hilly regions of Littleroot, and immediately spotted Beach under a huge tree, leaning on it, looking patient. She was wearing her usual casual clothes, but her hair was down, unusual, since she usually had it in ponytails. She then spotted me too, giving me a cheerful grin and waving._

"_Hey, Beach." I ran up to her, giving her a greeting. "What's up? Why'd you call me out so late?" I was somewhat curious. _

_Beach sat down, and gestured for me to do the same. "I…I just wanted to talk to someone. So I decided to call you out."_

_I suddenly turned really curious. "Why me? Why not Spirit, or the rest of the gang?"_

_She gave an audible sigh. "You know Spirit. He'd get concerned over any tiny little thing. The rest of the gang was busy tonight. They wanted to go watch a movie, and invited me, but I didn't want to go." She leaned back on the tree, and closed her eyes._

"…_That doesn't answer my question."_

"_Hey, Shield, can we just take a break? Just come and lie down. It's relaxing." I took her offer, and leaned on the tree, then closed my eyes after a moment._

"_It sure is relaxing."_

"_Yeah. It's nice to take a break once in a while. And I'm not talking about school. Just…life's really hectic."_

"_How so?"_

_Beach suddenly sat up, eyes open. "Shield…_

…

"_It may seem weird to you, but I can't tell you. It feels like I can't tell you anything, although I trust you. It's so FRUSTRATING!" She let her head drop in her hands, and sighed._

_I patted her on the shoulder, and she jumped. _

"_Hey."_

"_**Whatever it is, I'll be here for you, like everyone else. Don't worry."**_

"Haa…..that's a pretty bad promise." I slapped my head, understanding I couldn't ever support her if I went away. My thoughts then drifted to the present she gave me…

Taking out Beach's necklace gift, I stared, and thoughts began to drift. _I wonder if she has one of these then. It doesn't look like the kind you would find in a store, so it must be_ _handmade. That'd be sweet of her to make something like this for a friend. Wait. But if she made this as a going-away present, then she must've predicted that someone was going to leave! Spirit_ _and Flare have a same overall personality; it would be so like them to announce something important the second they find out. Raze, on the other hand, is sorta closed up like me, although Beach __doesn't know him really well. 3 down, 2 to go. Apple and Spin are basically mind readers to each other; if one of them knew, the other would eventually find out, and it doesn't help that their parents are always around us for the chance of blurting it out. That means Beach knew that I was going to leave one day. But how did she find out? She looked as shocked as the rest of the guys when I said it……that must either mean she's REALLY good at acting, or…_BUMP!

A loud onomatopoeia came from the hidden corners of the page, where the author was hiding, trying to be unnoticed for interrupting an important part of the story, which will not be revealed at this time because SOMEBODY screwed up. The next scene contains mature violence. Viewer's discretion is advised.

_1 violent scene later_

"Shield! We've arrived in Slateport!" My mom was calling at me to get out of the trunk, and I stepped out.

"Were you daydreaming?"

"Huh? What? Umm….maybe?"

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Let's go to the hotel and get a suite."

Walking around in the familiar scenery gave me comfort, and unease, for I was here without them, and might not be with them for a long time….various shops around a small market…..the beach we played on…..huge biking road……

"Look Shield! There's the hotel!" I looked up, annoyed of the distraction from waking me out of my musings. The hotel exterior was adequate; a Wingull design running down the sides of the building, and the welcome board "Slateport Lodge Branch" stuck onto the top of the hotel. We walked in, and the interior was, well, much more than I expected! Leather chairs on the side for waiting guests, more Wingull-themed attractions like a gift shop, and restaurant, and customer service in the centre of the lobby, coupled with a beach and sky background to top it off. "Wow…." I breathed. This was gonna be……an interesting stay.

"Hey! Shield!" I turned around, and gasped at who I saw. Flame jacket, spiked hair, GIANT grin, it could only be….


	3. Collison and Death

**Author's note: Okay! This chapter's gonna have a few different POV's! I'm gonna leave you guys on a cliffhanger from that last chap, although I set it up this way. You also won't be able to guess who's POV the first one is, although this character WILL have a major role. Lastly, from now on, I will have dates, times, and locations on each change of POV.**

…**sorry for the late update. Here's my sorry excuse: look at my profile on youtube (AshxMayforeva) to see my background and profile icon I worked so hard to make. You'll see a connection between this fanfic and the background.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content regarding Pokemon in this story, however I do own the plot and characters.**

**_______________________**

**???'s POV **

**Unknown Date, Time.**

**Twinleaf Town**

_Ugh. Not this again. _"I'm fining you a million dollars for being late!" _This guy's really getting annoying. Hmm…attack or not…_After giving a swift punch to the head, I continued onto Sandgem town, meanwhile thinking about which starter to choose.

_In terms of battling, Chimchar, the fire monkey, would be most agile. But then there's Turtwig, this…leaf thing, which has unbelievably high defense. And lastly, Piplup, with a mixture of both offense and defense, but none as high as Chimchar or Turtwig. So WHAT do I choose? Hmm….Turtwig's final form is Torterra, which can counter Chimchar and Piplup's final form. But that's the same with Chimchar and Piplup! Argh…what to do…Well, not focusing on abilities, which one would I like? No, no. What am I thinking! I can't choose depending on which one is preferable! I'll never become champion that way…I'll never…_

"Hey! We're here! Hello? Wake upppp!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Palmer. Guess I better pay more attention to our surroundings. It'd be a mistake to do what I just did on a journey." I made a mental note of that.

"Yeah, yeah. You're always talking about precautions. Let's just hurry up and get _your _Pokemon, alright?" Palmer sneered out.

I winced. _I guess he's still upset that HE can't get his Pokemon at the same time. Such a competitive streak…_ "You should be glad they only delayed your journey for nearly destroying Verity Cavern!"

He looked at me with annoyed orange eyes. "Well, it wasn't MY fault they frightened me and started the fireworks!"

"Well, it's not their fault your fireworks didn't work PROPERLY!" I looked over to the Professor's laboratory, and decided to ignore Palmer for the time being. There was more important matters at hand. He ran in the laboratory first, I bet somehow hoping the Professor would forgive him and give him his first Pokemon. I took a deep breath, and stepped in. Stepped into my future. "_Turt! Char! Pip!" _Stepped into the place where I'd receive the first part of my dream. Stepped in to………find Palmer crashing into me.

**Beach's POV **

**February 27th**** 2010, 5:30 PM, around 14 hours before Shield's departure. **

**Littleroot Town**

So. I looked down towards the palm of my hand, taking a perplexed glance at the necklace. This necklace was a gift for a beginning of a friendship, although I was giving it to a friend who is moving away. _'The blue feather.' _That was the name of the necklace, passed down from the Collision family, also known as the family with the great Tower Tycoon Palmer. I looked over to my Abra, who had always been with me, unbeknownst to my friends. He helped me read the emotions and thoughts of others. Speaking of Abra, I remember the day I met him-"BEACH! ARE YOU IN THERE?" Spirit suddenly barged in, looking worried, frantically scanning the large room, until he saw me, sheepishly hiding Abra, with no avail.

"Where'd you get that-…there's no time for this! There's these creepy dudes wearing ridiculous outfits, and this old guy outside, asking 'where's Beach? We demand to know.' They also said some other weird stuff, something about a host, time, and space." He explained, running out of breath.

I thought it over. "Well, they DO sound…umm….interesting, at the least. Although the host part doesn't seem like anything good. Let's look take a quick peek?"

We took up positions at the window, and looked over at the people Spirit was talking about. There were at least 5 people with identical spacey outfits, and hair into a bowl cut, died white. There was the old guy, wearing a lab coat, and orange glasses, but I couldn't see anything else. "Whaddaya say we go down there and have a little chat?" Spirit cracked his knuckles, and grinned.

'_He never was very welcoming with new residents. I wonder how he warmed up to Shield?' _I sighed. "Fine, but we actually TALK to these guys first, all right?"

"As long as we get to do things…..my way." He replied with a smug grin. I told Abra to use Teleport; surprising them with a Pokemon move was the best way to "welcome" our new guests. I hung onto the fox-like Pokemon, and Spirit did the same too, with some awe at touching a Pokemon for the first time, then we disappeared.

"Hey! Look who's here!"

"It's the little kid from before!" The spacemen grumbled with laughter, and we sweat dropped. These guys were easily amused.

"So why're you guys here?" I questioned them. Their looks suddenly turned serious, and one of them looked towards the old man.

"Charon, this kid matches the picture you gave us. Shall we?" The old man grinned, and bowed his head towards them.

"You may."

'_What are up with these guys? No one ever uses that kind of speech! They could be royalty, or something, with that language. Be nice to them. Even though the sound suspicious.' _One of the spacemen suddenly lunged at me, screaming, "You're mine, Beach!" He drew his hand into a fist, and I was barely able to dodge it.

Ok. Maybe we shouldn't be so nice.

Whenever someone threatens a Twinleafer (**author's note: I COULDN'T THINK OF A BETTER NAME! LOL)**, we automatically take it upon ourselves to rid this place of the wrongdoer. So if someone ATTACKS a Twinleafer….

The spaceman suddenly swung his fist horizontally, hoping to catch me in the face with a surprise backfist. I ducked, and swooped around him gracefully, if I say so myself, and stood beside Spirit.

"These guys aren't TOO nice, dontcha think?" My blue-haired friend asked me.

"Spirit, don't get too cocky. There's six of them, and only two of us. And plus, my Abra only knows Teleport, so it can't really help out much. It's not even trained well, so it can't handle another Teleport. Plus-"

"Beach, we can HANDLE them. Now you take the two over on the left," he pointed to the male and female (at least I think) in a battle stance, "and I'll take care of the old man and the three remaining."

We rushed at our opponents, handed tucked into fists, and the battle raged on.

_**A few minutes later because the author would have to make this fic rated M to show the fight**_

Whoa. Spirit was……well…..fast. He came over to help me the minute before, and we moved in sync, weaving back and forth to finish the last spaceman….err….spacewoman.

"Kid! Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'Don't hit a girl?"

"Sorry," Spirit smirked. "I don't think you classify as one of them." He then uppercutted her stomach, and opened his hands. I knew this technique well; I jumped off his 'hand-boost', and kicked the spacewoman hard in the face. We stood there, panting. It was over.

…

…

…Huh?

**Spirit's POV **

**February 27****th**** 2010, 6:30 PM. 13 hours before Shield's departure**

**Littleroot Town**

I whipped around quickly, hearing a weird noise coming from the bush I hid the old guy in. The bush ruffled, and out came……this thing, not the old man, for sure. It looked like some huge Turtle-thing, with spikes protruding out the sides of it's shell, and a gigantic tree coming out the top. It was green-brown, with four legs.

"TERRA!" It's scream surprised Beach, who turned around, shocked, like me.

"Ha! Do you ever think we'd come unprepared? A huge Torterra could never be beaten by a couple of weak kids like you!" _'So that was it's name! I don't think we can fight off this beast. That pointed scarred mouth looks like it has fired a lot of….. long-range attacks, so I doubt we could run. I could hold off that Torterra thing, and Beach could make a run for it….or…Abra!'_

"Hey, Beach! Call out your Abra for a sec." I spoke fast, because that monster could fire at any time.

Beach listened, and Abra came out. It was sleeping. "At all TIMES! THIS! NOW YOU'RE SLEEPING!" I was furious, and began to shake the fox-like Pokemon, while Beach tried to coo Abra out of its sleep.

Torterra, meanwhile, was charging some beam thing, so I knew there wasn't much time. "COME ON ABRA! WAKE UP!" The monster launched.

Damn.

Closer, closer…Abra wouldn't wake up. I had to act fast. Closer, closer. I pushed Beach out of the way, and my back took the hit of the beam, meanwhile shielding Abra. _'Shit. It can't end like this!'_

I fell to the ground after the blast, back heavily damaged and bleeding. "Hey Beach." I seethed out the words as my tremendous pain ached from the blast.

"S-Spirit? Y-You shouldn't be speaking! I need to get you out of here!" She sobbed out words.

"It's too late now. No human should be able to withstand a-a-a…" "…It wasn't supposed to end like this. Everyone was supposed to grow up….and…."

Everything went black.

**Beach's POV**

**February 28****th**** 3:30 AM. 4 hours before Shield's departure**

**Oldale Hospital**

...

...

'_Damnit. I couldn't do anything. He just………' _I held back tears, being the strong person I was.

**'_Shield. Spirit's Spirit, in a couple of hours, will stay with you forever. For Eternity.' _**

**_I looked down at The blue feather. I looked down at Spirit. "I won't say rest in peace, because I know you aren't dead. Just.....get in there safely, Spirit."_**

**________________________________________**

**Author's note: I'm not good at sad stuff xD See ya next chapter!**


	4. Flare and Spirit: Dead or alive?

**Author's note: okayyy! This chap's gonna have a few POV's, and make sure to watch the times they happen! It's set this way on purpose, but the times ARE NOT going to be in chronological order. Oh, and please, don't ask how Spirit and Beach got away from (the ever-so-obvious-to-the-plot) Team Galactic if you were wondering, because Spirit 'blacked out'. He has no idea of what had happened after. xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content regarding Pokemon in this story, however I do own the plot and characters.**

**_______________________**

**Shield's POV**

**February 28th**** 2010, 8:30 PM. Day 1 evening of trip.**

**Slateport City Hotel**

"Hey, what's up, Shield?" A single hand went up in the air, and waved with an aura of calmness.

"Hmm?" I turned around, and was stunned by who I saw. It was Flare. He was dressed in his usual

flame jacket and gloves, and his unusually spiked hair really stood out from everyone else. His trademark

grin was one no one could forget, mostly because of how childish he looked. I was about to shout with

excitement, but he held his hand out, implying a stop , and I released my pent up energy, gasping.

"If you shout, people are gonna think you've gone mad. They can't see me." He explained.

I looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean by 'they can't see you'?"

"What do you think? It's exactly as I said. They can't see me."

"Uh…..huh." _He's playing dumb. _Okay. This was getting nowhere. I decided to test his theory.

"Hey, mom! Can you come over here for a second?" I called over. She looked over, gave a quick nod, and left the Hoenn map she was studying, probably trying to understand the route we were taking better.

'What is it?"

"Hey, do you see anyone in front of me?"

"…" She stared at me, face unreadable. I anxiously waited for her answer.

"…I think you need some sleep, Shield. There is no one close to you besides me, let alone anyone in front of you, excluding that old man across the room."

"…" I looked around. There were quite a few people in the lobby, but only on the other side of the room, where people were crowding around a storyteller.

"…I'm going to ask around to get to know about our route better, Shield. Here's a pair of keys for the suite. It's room number 28, on the 2nd floor. Don't let anyone see you looking for imaginary things, now." She gave me the suite keys and left, muttering something about being crazy, and I was once again, alone to talk with Flare.

"So…..I'm guessing you have a few questions now." He beckoned for me to head up to the suite to talk in private; of course, I obeyed, because I didn't want anybody seeing me talk with a 'invisible' person.

**Raze's POV**

**February 28****th**** 2010, 8:30 AM (12 hours before Shield's encounter with Flare)**

**Route 116**

"For the last time, be QUIET Flare!" I was angry. Duh.

Flare had been bugging me throughout the whole day on our journey. "Well, I can't help it! I'm BORED!" The younger flame-named boy whined. I suddenly shot my head up in surprise. My hearing senses were much more acute than most people, and they had picked up on someone's footsteps.

I looked at Flare sternly. "Quick. Hide!" I pushed him into a nearby bush; route 116 was plentiful of these, and we laid down, hiding. "Why're we hiding?" he asked, rather loudly.

"Ssh!" I shushed him. "This route is crowded with trainers! If anyone of them sees us, we'd be in trouble! We don't have any Pokemon, remember?" This world was really screwed up. Routes with many Pokemon trainers would attack regardless, because normal people wouldn't normally venture into places like these, much less kids.

Unfortunately, we weren't normal kids.

I had asked an unusually sad Beach (I didn't bother to ask what was wrong; that's just….not my style.) to use her Abra to teleport us to Mauville right away so we could receive our breeded Pokemon from the day-care couple, but Beach's little fox-being wasn't that well trained, and ended up sending us to Rustboro city, where we would have to trek through Route 116, Rusturf tunnel, Verdanturf town, and Route 117. Out of the four, Route 116 would be the most dangerous part of the journey, because of the seemingly endless amounts of trainers. Route 117 wasn't as bad off, considering it was right before Mauville. DAMN, paying attention in class helped for once! I was actually hoping Abra would make a mistake, but send us to Slateport, where we could possibly wait out the day and get to see Shield, where I predicted his move would be stopped for the day.

Another stroke of bad luck hit me; Flare had shouted. "SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT? WE CAN BEAT ANYBODY ANYWHERE!" Stupid boy. He's obviously never been burnt or electrocuted.

"SHUT UP FLARE!" I angrily slapped him on the face, which made him rub his cheek in pain.

"Hey! Are you actually gonna just HIDE around these guys?" He asked me, nursing his cheek.

"Apparently, these guys are ones that can beat us dead in almost any possible way, so I'd say yes." I looked at him, smirking.

"Oh! Look at this bro!" Someone behind me was talking. I whipped my head around. Both guys were dressed like an average hiker, with the typical get-up: walking stick, large backpack, and many layers of clothing. The clothing wasn't as expected though, since there was no snow around. Speaking of snow, shouldn't there be some in the winter?

"Raze! Pay attention!" Flare suddenly grabbed and pulled me to the side, nearly avoiding something that appeared to be a hurling rock. Whatever it was, it would've crushed my body with ease. "Thanks, Flare." Great. My unawareness had got us into this situation.. These two hiker Pokemon Trainers surrounding us, demanding for a match. We were gonna get killed.

**Shield's POV**

**February 28****th**** 2010, 8:35 AM Day 1 evening of trip**

**Slateport City Hotel, room 28, 2****nd**** floor**

"So tell me," I said, as I plopped on the couch. "What makes me able to see you in the first place?"

I WAS glad to see Flare so soon after my leave, and I really wanted to ask him how the others were faring with my departure, but this…..unexpected event piqued my interest a little too well.

"Well," he spoke with a toothy childish grin, "We're friends, aren't we? We should be able to see each other! You know, like visit, and stuff."

I sweat dropped. _Wow….he even jokes in a situation like this. _"No, seriously! Why? My mom can't see you, and I'm guessing that no one else can. So why can I?"

"Ugh." He put his hand to his forehead, and flipped his hair, looking upset. Flare was one who was always upbeat, with his pranks and fun, so seeing him EVER down was a rare scene. What he has to say has to be serious.

'Well, let's start off. Did you know that Spirit is dead?"

I looked panic-stricken. Spirit. My best friend. The one who helped me get through my life. Dead. I lay shocked on the couch, and my eyes started to well up.

"Shield! Don't cry now! I need to explain, so stay strong. Spirit's okay at the moment, I know for sure. He's closer than you think."

_That _caught my attention. "How so?" My heart was freaking out of control with anticipation, and it seemed like an eternity before Flare spoke. "I'll start off half a day before you left."

_One story later_

'So……Spirit died saving Beach?" I attempted to speak, after an intense, unbelievable story. A Pokemon had killed them. _Damnit….._ "And Spirit was transferred to this necklace? I held out the necklace Beach had given me, it's centre core suddenly shining a brilliant blue for a second.

"Yes, Spirit is inside there. He'll be with you always, Shield; there's no need to worry." I breathed a huge sigh of relief, but it held discomfort; how could I not feel sad if my best friend just went through the pain of being killed?

"Now, this leads us to the reason why you can see me, but others cannot."

_2 hours later (Taking a while to get that info, huh, Shield's mom? xD)_

Flare had left. I can't believe this. He had died TOO? _Ugh…….at least I know both of them are not in pain now…….that's good enough for me. _Trying to overwhelm this incredible feeling of…….hatred, for some reason, I succeeded and drifted off to sleep.

_____

**Whoo! That was hard! Srry for the late update guys, but I was planning out the whole plot, and making some improvements on the old chaps. You may notice a few differences. Lastly, there won't be that many deaths anymore. Don't worry, this may the last death, unless u guys want more......xD But I won't kill anybody already in the story most likely, so if I'm ever accepting OC's (that's right! The noob has learned what that is! I think xD) there's ur chance! xD**


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